Garmin brings wrist-bound HRM to new Vivoactive HR, adds to Vivofit line

A hardcore Fitbit Surge competitor, and another Jonathan Adler-wrapped wearable.

Garmin isn't waiting for the start of Mobile World Congress to reveal its latest wearables. The company announced two new fitness trackers ahead of the conference in Barcelona next week: the premium $249 Vivoactive HR, featuring the company's new wrist-bound heart rate monitoring technology, and the more affordable $99 Vivofit 3.

The Vivoactive HR takes all of the features from Garmin's original Vivoactive sports watch and pairs it with a heart rate monitor and a new design. It looks surprisingly similar to Fitbit's Surge, with a wide silhouette and a rectangular touchscreen display. You will be able to switch out the bands with different colored ones (something you cannot do with the Surge), and its body looks slightly thicker than the original Vivoactive, as it contains a heart rate monitor on the underside of the module.

Further Reading

Garmin's Elevate HRM, which was introduced with the Vivosmart HR earlier this year, lets the tracker monitor heart rate all day long and activity intensity during workouts. The Vivosmart HR is also ANT+ compatible, meaning you could connect a chest strap heart-rate monitor to the device if you prefer; there's currently no indication that the Vivoactive HR has the same compatibility.

Aside from that, the Vivoactive HR is nearly identical in features to the existing Vivoactive. It tracks steps, floors climbed, intensity minutes, and sleep; it comes equipped with sport apps for tracking running, walking, biking, swimming, golfing, standup paddle-boarding, rowing, skiing, and snowboarding; and it has a built-in GPS for mapping routes while you run or cycle. One of the newer features that arrived with a software update a while ago is an auto recognition feature for certain exercises: you won't have to manually start tracking a workout when you run, cycle, swim, or go on the elliptical—the band will automatically know what you're doing and begin tracking.

The new Vivoactive HR uses Garmin's Elevate heart rate monitor built in to its underside.

The Vivoactive Hr gets all of your smartphone's notifications, not just call, text, or calendar alerts.

Garmin's Vivofit 3, featuring a slightly more compact screen than the Vivofit 2, yet the same rectangular design.

A couple of the Jonathan Adler-designed bands for the Vivofit 3.

The Alexandra band accessory pack for the Vivofit 3.

Unlike the Fitbit's sports watch, the Vivoactive HR will receive all of your smartphone's notifications, down to the last tweet. Most of Garmin's upper-tier wearables have this feature, and they also have access to the Connect IQ app store. This is Garmin's own little app world where you can download apps for watchfaces, display widgets, and exercise programs. Connect IQ certainly isn't as robust as the Apple Watch app selection, or even Google's Android Wear app offerings, but most of the apps available are tailored to typical Garmin users: the most active and adventurous among us.

Garmin also introduced the new Vivofit 3, another fitness tracker option for those who just want to keep track of daily movement. The third iteration of the Vivofit line appears to have a more compact display than the Vivofit 2 and is slightly smaller but otherwise looks nearly the same. It will also be able to auto detect certain activities with Garmin IQ; it will also monitor steps, distance, calories, intensity minutes, and sleep. The Vivofit 3 will also learn your habits over time and suggest ways to reach your fitness goals more efficiently. Like the Vivofit 2, this new model is water-resistant up to 50 meters (so you can take it swimming) and will have a one-year battery life.

The Vivofit line is Garmin's most stylish collection of fitness trackers, with multiple types and colors of bands to choose from. The $99 Vivofit 3 is no different—you'll be able to snag accessory packs with bands designed by Jonathan Adler and Alexandra that will be priced at $39 per pack. Both the Vivofit 3 and the $249 Vivoactive HR will be available in Q2 of this year.

Valentina Palladino
Valentina is the Associate Reviewer for Ars Technica, covering all gadgets with a focus on mobile devices and wearables. She has a soft spot for Chromebooks. Twitter@valentinalucia